This is a great, economical dish that’s really easy to make. It’s flavor is very smoky and slightly spicy from the addition of a little canned chipotle chiles in adobo. If you haven’t experimented with these yet, they add quite a bit of flavor to many dishes. I usually buy a can and then freeze little portions in baggies to use later, since you can’t really use one whole can in one recipe unless you want to burn your whole mouth off. Try to make the polenta the night before so it will ‘set’ up better for the topping. I tried queso fresco for the first time, but I don’t know if I would use it again because I couldn’t really taste it on top, as it was masked by the smokiness of the chiles.
Polenta Mushroom Casserole
Yield: 8-10 servings
Polenta:
- 5 1/2 cups water or low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups dry polenta (fancy name for corn meal)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
- salt, pepper, all-purpose seasoning
Mushroom Topping:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups chopped onion
- 3/4 lb lean ground chicken, optional (I had this leftover in the freezer)
- 2 – 8oz cartons sliced crimini mushrooms
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup fruity balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp – 1tbsp chopped drained canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (28-ounce) can tomatoes, slightly drained and chopped
- crumbled queso fresco cheese, mozzarella, or goat cheese for topping
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.
To prepare polenta, combine first 4 ingredients in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish, stirring well. Bake at 375° for 1 hour or until liquid is absorbed. This can be done the night before to help it ‘set’ better.
To prepare topping, while polenta bakes, heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, and sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add chicken and mushrooms and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook until mushrooms release moisture and begin to brown, stirring occasionally. Add vinegar, chiles, oregano, and garlic. Reduce heat to medium, and cook until liquid evaporates, stirring constantly. Stir in tomatoes, and cook over low heat 20-30 minutes or until the mixture thickens and reduces, stirring occasionally.
Spoon over polenta; sprinkle evenly with cheese. Increase oven temp and bake at 400° for 20-30 minutes or until cheese begins to melt and brown. Serve with a side salad. This is great for leftovers!
Or you can top with an egg!
